Frequently Asked Questions

A name, a birth year, and a birthplace. That's enough for a complete portrait. Occupation and background are optional but make the portrait richer. You do not need a family tree, a DNA test, or a GEDCOM file.

That's common — and that's exactly who this is for. Even a name, a birth year, and a birthplace are enough. Historical context fills in the world they lived in. Many customers are surprised by how much a few facts can reveal about what their ancestor's daily life looked like.

Your portrait is delivered within 48 hours of confirmed payment. We'll notify you by email if delivery will be delayed for any reason.

Yes. Each ancestor is a separate portrait. Many families order portraits for multiple grandparents or great-grandparents and read them together — it makes for a remarkable family gathering.

A multi-page narrative portrait of one ancestor's life — what their daily world looked like, the historical forces that shaped them, and what they may have passed down to you. Designed as a PDF, ready to print, read aloud, or frame.

No. Origentum does not build family trees or search for records. We interpret the historical context surrounding your ancestor's life — using 87 types of records and 13 dimensions of daily life — and deliver a narrative portrait grounded in evidence.

Those services help you find records. Origentum helps you understand what those records mean. A census entry says your grandmother was a laundress. Origentum tells you what that meant — the 14-hour days, the lye burns, the three cents per shirt, the social position, and what it cost her body.

Origentum uses a structured research engine that analyzes historical records, occupation data, migration patterns, and era-specific conditions, then assembles a narrative using a three-tier evidence framework. Every claim is tagged as Documented, Probable, or Contextual. The output is reviewed before delivery. This is structured historical interpretation — not a record lookup, not a family tree, not a search engine.

Yes. The portrait is delivered as a designed PDF that looks beautiful printed. You can share it with family, frame a page, or read it aloud at a reunion. It is yours forever.

Every chapter includes a reflection section with three questions tied to your ancestor's specific story — prompts that connect their experience to yours. A standalone Reflection Journal companion is on the roadmap for a future release.

The chapter shifts to honor that. Section 6 becomes "Life After Service" — about the family's experience of the loss and the formal procedures that mark a death in uniform: the Western Union telegram and its standardized opening, the decision about repatriation, the 13-fold flag presentation, the specific decoration awarded (Purple Heart, Bronze Star, Silver Star, etc.) with rarity context, the survivor benefits the family was entitled to, the American Battle Monuments Commission's free Photo of Grave service, and the Gold Star tradition. Most descendants have never been told the procedural detail. The chapter handles it with reverence and restraint.

You can still order. The minimum is name, dates, branch, and conflict. With those, we build the chapter from era and unit context. If you have a service number, DD-214, photographs, or family stories, the chapter goes deeper — specific units, specific decorations, specific moments are named where the records support it. Where they don't, we say so plainly and the archive guide ("Where to Look Next") tells you exactly which records are most likely to fill the gap.

The 1973 fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis destroyed roughly 16–18 million Official Military Personnel Files — about 80% of Army records for service from November 1912 through January 1960, and 75% of Air Force records (surnames Hubbard through Z) through January 1964. There were no backups. If a NARA request has come back "no record found," the institutional silence is often the reason. The Military Chapter names this directly in Section 5 — so families understand the gap is not their fault for failing to ask sooner. The archive guide also points to the auxiliary sources NARA has used to reconstruct partial records (state adjutant general records, VA claims files, payroll records, morning reports).

Yes, and we are honest about the shape of it. Where the records you provide are richer, the chapter goes deeper — specific units, specific decorations, specific moments. Where they are sparse, we do not pad. The "what came after" section stays short and honest, the archive guide is detailed, and the chapter still earns its place on a family shelf without claiming to know what it cannot. The honest framing is part of the value — and the archive guide is often the most actionable surface in the document for descendants who want to dig further.

NARA gives you records — forms, citations, transcripts. Origentum interprets them. A muster roll says your great-grandfather was assigned to the 53rd Signal Battalion in the Mediterranean Theater in 1942. The Military Chapter tells you what the 53rd Signal Battalion did, what the Mediterranean Theater looked like in 1942, what a Signal Battalion's daily work involved, what the Italian campaign cost American soldiers, and — if he was killed there — the procedures the family went through, the decoration he received, and the cemetery he rests in. We don't replace NARA. We turn what NARA gives you into a chapter your grandchildren will read.

Yes — the Military Chapter is delivered within 48 hours of confirmed payment, so it works well even for last-minute gifts. If timing is critical for a specific event, note the date in the order form and we will confirm the delivery window before production.

A single Military Chapter covers one conflict in depth — the one that most defined their service. If they served in multiple wars (e.g., a career soldier through World War II and Korea, or a Vietnam veteran who was earlier in Korea), order one chapter per conflict. Each is a complete narrative. Many families with career-military ancestors order both as a matched set.

Mainly the details you give us and the historical record for that time and place. A full name, birth year and birthplace give the most specific result. Where records are thin, your chapter describes the period and place rather than guessing about the individual.

Give your best spelling, and add any variants in the notes box. Spellings changed often in old records, and we use what you provide as given, so a close variant may be missed. Please check the names on your order before you submit it.

An approximate year still works for the historical context. If you upload a family tree, the year helps us match your ancestor to the right person, so a year that is far off can mean no match is made.

A tree is optional. We match your ancestor to a person in it by name and birth year. If the match is uncertain, for example when only the surname agrees, we leave that person out rather than risk describing the wrong ancestor. We do not check a tree for errors, so mistakes in your file can carry into the chapter.

No. It is an interpretive narrative grounded in the historical record of the time and place, not verified genealogy, and it cannot be used as legal evidence of ancestry, citizenship or inheritance. Please check important facts against primary records before sharing them as fact.

Yes. Like any research, an interpretive chapter can contain errors. If something looks wrong, contact us within 14 days of delivery and we will revise it once at no cost; if that does not resolve it, we refund you. Our Terms of Service have the details.

Yes. Your ancestor's information is used only to create your portrait and is not sold, shared, or stored beyond delivery. If you upload a GEDCOM file, it is permanently deleted after your document is generated — we never store, archive, or share it.

No. One-time purchase. There are no recurring charges, no membership fees, and no commitment. The portrait is yours forever.

Three windows. Before production: if you contact us before your order enters production (typically within 2 hours of payment), we cancel and refund in full. After delivery: if your chapter or portrait contains a material error, or we misread what you gave us, contact us within 14 days and we will revise it once at no additional cost. If revision does not resolve it: we issue a full refund. We also issue a full refund if we are unable to produce the document based on the information provided. Style and tone preferences, and results limited by missing or incorrect information, are not refundable. Full details in our Terms of Service.

After you submit your order form, you'll receive a confirmation email with a secure Stripe payment link. Your portrait enters production once payment is confirmed. Origentum never stores your payment information — all transactions are handled by Stripe.